The book can be purchased on its own for £95, with @eGlance for £150 + VAT (a saving of £30) or with At A Glance for £120, a saving of £25. It can also be purchased as a Kindle e-book, raising the interesting possibility of it being used (off-line) on mobile devices, including smartphones.

Obviously, the only original parts of the book are the commentaries, of which I calculate there are twenty-nine, ranging from a few paragraphs to several pages each. They can either be read as an introductory text to the new Rules or, more likely I think, as practical guidance for those using the book as a work of reference. The longer commentaries are divided into useful sub-sections, making it easier for the reader to find the subject in which they are interested.

By way of example, the commentary to Part 9: Applications for a Financial Remedy (likely to be the most-used part of the book) includes sub-sections dealing with definitions, details of financial applications not covered by Part 9, a general commentary, details of modifications to the old FPR 1991 procedure, interim relief, costs, the pre-action protocol and applications to set aside. There is also a list of forms and a table of 'Correspondances', setting out the correlation between the old and the new rules. Note that the commentary does not go into detail about new rules that simply repeat old rules, for example the rules concerning consent orders.

Otherwise, the book includes a fairly comprehensive-looking index, but I was slightly surprised to note that it does not include either a table of cases or a table of statutes.

As I mentioned above, the price of the book includes access to Class Legal's FamilyProcedure.com website, where the commentary in the book will be updated. The site is in two parts: the commentaries and sources. Presumably, the commentaries will be updated as necessary, although it is not clear whether amendments to the originals in the book will be flagged. 'Sources' includes links to the rules, their practice directions, forms, statutes, statutory instruments and cases (where available on Bailii).

Financial Remedies is undoubtedly a useful handbook for any family lawyer dealing with this kind of work, including as it does so much of what that lawyer will need in one handy (525-page) volume. How useful it would be if one has already (or also) purchased @aGlance is not so clear, although I suppose it would still then be of use if one does not have access to a computer. On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, whether you would want Financial Remedies if you already possessed The Family Court Practice (the 'Red Book') is another matter...

That point aside, I can certainly recommend Financial Remedies, particularly of course to practitioners specialising in this area.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. Constructive comments are always welcome, even if they do not coincide with my views! Please note, however, that comments will be removed or not published if I consider that:* They are not relevant to the subject of this post; or* They are (or are possibly) defamatory; or* They breach court reporting rules; or* They contain derogatory, abusive or threatening language; or* They contain 'spam' advertisements (including links to any commercial websites).Please also note that I am unable to give advice.

Disclaimer

Nothing in this blog should be construed as legal advice. If you require legal advice upon any family law related matter then you should consult a solicitor. Any links to other blogs or web sites are provided for convenience only and I cannot accept any responsibility for the contents of such linked blogs/sites.